The Smart Collector

January 29, 2006|BY DANIELLE ARNET

Q. Do you have any info on a Hull art pottery bowl and two cornucopias my mother gave me? She says they were purchased between 1950 and 1953, but I can't find a name for the pattern. -- Barbara, Tucson, Ariz.

A. Produced by the Hull Pottery Co. in Crooksville, Ohio, your pattern has an interesting story. While the pieces may have been bought in the 1950s, they were probably made in the 1940s. The pastel colors and rounder, "prettier" shapes seen in your images are typical of Hull 1940s ware. By the 1950s, Hull designs were streamlined with brighter colors.

Bows accenting most pieces in the line explain why your pattern is called "Bow-Knot." Introduced in 1949 and made into 1950, it was decorated with matte shadings of blue/turquoise/pink. Twenty-nine shapes were made, including vases, a tea set, candleholders, wall pockets, a wall plaque and a small ewer. What you call a bowl is described in the 1949 catalog as a jardinire. Yours is 53/4 inches; a larger version is 93/8 in.

Always popular, Bow-Knot was reproduced in the 1970s, especially as wall pockets, large vases and other expensive pieces.

While I doubt that your pieces have been reproduced, a hands-on assessment is warranted. A collector or seller knowledgeable with Hull or art pottery needs to verify that your pieces date from the 1940s.

For actual market results, check completed sales on eBay. When I looked, 43 pieces were active -- who knows how many were originals. When it comes to Hull, also refer to guides by Brenda Roberts. Her most recent is The Collector's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Hull Pottery: Volume I ($29.95 from Collector Books).

Book values are only an author's benchmark. Actual results are reality. As example, your cornucopia, booked at $225-$265, sold on eBay for $66. A double cornucopia, booked at $350-$450, sold for $167.50.